Philosophy – Hope in a Jar

I’m very mixed about this product.  Hope in a Jar is probably by far one of Philosophy’s most popular products and so many people swear by it for their skin.  I had a chance to try a deluxe sample of it after I ordered some products on Sephora’s website.  The texture of the product was great and it kept my skin looking balanced throughout the day.  I even noticed a nice little glow to my skin and the texture seemed like it improved within a few days of using it.  I usually don’t think any kind of facial product can transform your skin in just a few days, but I must admit that I do think the appearance of my skin improved versus other moisturizers that I have used in the past.  But, here comes the drawbacks.  The scent is just awful.  I can’t really explain exactly how it smells, but it is not pleasant at all.  It kind of has a chemical smell to it and it’s very pungent and this is how I know it was really bad, my husband commented on the smell.  This is probably one of the last things I would think that my husband would notice, the scent of my facial moisturizer.  But, one day after he had leaned into a kiss he asked “what that smell was”, never a good question.  Let me add that this was in the evening; I had applied the moisturizer 9 hours earlier when I was getting ready for work.  Beyond the scent, I also noticed that the moisturizer had no SPF in it, something that seems a little strange in this day and age of moisturizers.  If I’m paying $15+ for a moisturizer, I expect it to have SPF in it.   By no means is Hope in a Jar marketed as a night time cream, so I would assume it would have SPF.  So, as of now I will not be purchasing this moisturizer even though I think it made my face look lovely.  I still have the deluxe sample and some days I do cave and wear it, but there is always that moment when the wind catches my face and I get a big whiff of the scent.  Ugh!  Hopefully they’ll come out with an updated fragrance-free formula that has at least SPF 15 included.